In the automotive industry, the term Big Three is used for a country's three largest motor vehicle manufacturers, especially indicating companies that sell under multiple brand names. The term originated in the United States, where General Motors was the first to form a large, multi-brand, motor-vehicle corporation (in the 1910s), followed by Ford Motor Company, and the Chrysler Corporation, all before World War II. The term "Big Three" has since been sometimes used to refer to the following automakers: Germany — the Volkswagen Group, the Mercedes-Benz Group, and BMW. Japan — Toyota, Nissan, and Honda. United States — Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis United States General Motors, Ford Motor Company, and Chrysler Stellantis North America are often referred to as the "Big Three", being the largest automakers in the United States. They were for a while the three largest in the world, with GM and Ford remaining as mainstays in the top five. The Big Three are also distinguished not just by their size and geography, but also by their business model. All three have their headquarters in the Detroit area; the majority of their operations are unionized with the United Auto Workers and Unifor. Ford has held the position of second-ranked automaker for the past 56 years, being relegated to third in North American sales after being overtaken by Toyota in 2007. That year, Toyota produced more vehicles than GM although GM still outsold Toyota. At that time, GM had 77 consecutive calendar years of top sales. For the first quarter of 2008, Toyota finally overtook GM in sales. In their domestic American market, the major Detroit automakers have consistently retained the top three spots. Honda passed Chrysler for the fourth spot in 2008 US sales. Since then, because of Toyota's controversy surrounding their recent unintended acceleration recall, Toyota has fallen back to fourth place in sales , with Honda trailing in fifth place , allowing the Detroit Three to reclaim their Big Three title. Toyota overtook GM as the best selling automaker in the United States in 2021, marking the first time an American automaker has not led U.S. auto sales for a full year. Union labor can result in higher labor costs than other multinational automakers, including those with plants in North America. The 2005 Harbour Report estimated that Toyota's lead in labor productivity amounted to a cost advantage of $350 US to $500 US per vehicle